Pause, Rewind and Play

PAUSE

Most people know that about two weeks ago the H1N1 virus knocked me on my keester. I was on quarantine for 5 days and unable to see my kids, play games with my husband or look at any form of light without a blaring headache.  Obviously our 100-day commitment was on pause when I was on quarantine.  For those naysayers who argue we could have played online, please go back and read about my mind-numbing head pain.

REWIND

Even though I have neglected my blogging we have been playing games.  In fact we finally beat Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  Beating our first game in this quest was a curse more than blessing. 

Since its end we have been wavering between new games.  We bought Ghost Busters and Harry Potter: we did not enjoy either.  Both games seemed fun enough but were not made for co-op play.  We settled into old faithful games such as Little Big Planet, Street Fighter and Castle Crashers.  We are still on the prowl for something more substantial and spent an hour at GameStop looking through the shelves with the kiddos in tow.

PLAY

We have been reading the book series Song for Fire and Ice books together.  We have forsaken all our TV shows to read together (which is no biggie now that Dollhouse has ended).  We lay in bed when the house is quiet and read.  It is notable because the way we interact when we read in juxtaposition to the way we play.  We are still spending time just the two of us but it is more serene and less fun.

Today we bought Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires.  I am blogging and researching while John messes with the controls.  I would be playing but John has not yet “befriended” me.  In this game you have to befriend another character before you can play co-op.  You have to earn a person to fight along side with you; maybe this is the game we have been waiting for since it is about building relationships? Okay, the game is more about hacking and slashing but you have to make at least one friend to play with your wife.

RETURN

Thanks to Gamestop’s awesome used game return policy if this games stinks we will just revisit the store again tomorrow. 

Do Video Games Damage Relationships?

Day 39

Video games bring people together and that potential is not limited to married couples that play for an hour a day.  Bungi has Halo players equipping emblems to support the Haiti effort.  Without the support of Blizzard players have successfully orchestrated gay pride in the MMORPG World of WarCraft.  The exponential growth of both Xbox live marketplace and Playstation Network are a testament to the interactivity of games.  I think that people who feel neglected by loved ones who play games should pick up a controller and sit beside that loved one (rah-rah video games).

John and I have been looking for video games to play physically together and have found that sophisticated co-op is lacking. The gaming industry is not developing games that nurture strong face-to-face interpersonal skills.  There is a plethora of multi-player games but most are online instead of splitscreen.  There is no shortage of games that provide communicative interfaces, there are far less games that allow players to engage in a close proximity.   

We can play music games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band.  We can play some FPS like Borderlands or Halo. I do not have a Wii, so the option for most party games is out.  I would love to play another adventure game like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

The argument that video games damage relationships may have some merit.  Video games, like other technology are making it easier to connect with acquaintances and forsake those in the same room with us.  Facebook, the Xbox marketplace and MySpace all make it easy to keep in touch with people from different aspects of my life.  Are these technologies, including video replacing real conversations?  I hope soon John and I will find a game that helps us to enjoy our favorite entertainment without forsaking our communication.   

I O U

DAY 38

I owe my husband a real anniversary. 

IE: An occasion where his wife shaves her legs fixes her hair and plays video games with him (without complaint).

I am sick.  So none of the aforementioned anniversary parameters were fulfilled.  John put the kids to bed solo.  Then we played video games while I coughed raggedly and blew my noise between fights.  Sometimes I may be tired, clingy or under the weather but this is a whole nuther shebang.  I am gross snotty sick and feel like my head is surrounded by a fishbowl. 

The last few days other folks have supportively reminded me that I need to get home to play that one-hour.  It is nice to know I do not blog in vain and that others are rooting for us.  When Lori reminded me today, I felt a pang of guilt for what a shitty co-op partner I am tonight.  Especially considering John had the season finale of Dollhouse queued during the kids naptime.

I felt both sad and old simultaneously watching a fourth Joss show come to an end.  I was anticipating a guest appearance by Felicia Day but she was nowhere to be seen?  The episode was a nice anniversary surprise by John and Joss and really was the highlight of my day.    

The bottom line is that my husband is ridonkulassly awesome and that I owe him big time.

 

The 7 Year Itch

Day 37 

At this time of day 7 years ago I was getting married to John.  Last night on the eve of our anniversary we celebrated the Cude wedding.  After the wedding reception we picked up the kids from the in-laws and after tucking them into bed played some Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  The wedding nostalgia made me want to stay up all night and play video games but my snotty cold had other plans. 

Last night we played for an hour before my coughing got too distracting.  I thought once we hit the 7-year landmark I might be a little itchier.  Luckily I may be sick but I am not itchy.   

Drool & Stinky Gym Shorts

Day 34

Well my last post talked about romance and so will this post will do the same (of sorts.)

We are still playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  I was very tired when we finally got to our mission.  John realized midway that he wanted to change characters.  I decided to rest my eyes for a moment while he selected and I dozed off.  John did not realize I was sleeping but was curious why The Thing was inert on the screen.  I remember John tapping on the crown of my head with the Xbox controller.  Then I delicately blotted a dainty amount of saliva that had accrued on my cheek and we resumed play.  

According to John I wiped the back of my wrist like a sailor who just finished a tall frosty pint.  His account of the moment is completely inaccurate.

When we finished playing I went straight up to bed.  John walked me upstairs and I realized he was still wearing his gym clothes: which stunk.  Stunk might be an understatement, those shorts could viably belong to a street person who does not have access to luxuries like soap.  I batted my eyes and politely suggested that my adorable husband might be more “alluring” if he bathed before he came to bed. 

If you started out reading this post thinking by romance I was going to describe a Tom and Meg scene then you are starkly mistaken  (and you a have never read this blog before.) What made my account today romantic is that even though my husband was smelly, to me he was still the most amazing man ever.  And though it might have burned my sinuses I would have slept beside him stinky and all because he is so amazing.  Loving someone enough that even after stinky gym shorts and drool you are still attracted to that person is to me the best kind of romance. 

Real Life Romance

DAY 33

Last night after finally taking down the Christmas tree we played Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  I did not make it the full hour of playing co-op.  Instead John played a level of Bayonnetta while I did my yoga hip sequence.  Little did I know that luring john to bed early I thwarted his plans to ambush me with an anniversary game.  This morning on the way to work he initiated his contingency plan.

My husband is the most romantic guy alive. He bought me gourmet chocolate and inside the box hid a puzzle to my next wedding anniversary gift.  I always let him do the sequence puzzles when we play co-op, now this is my chance to get better at puzzles and hopefully get more presents.  

Achievement Whore

When we play games I am usually the muscle.  Basically I take all the major damage and fight the biggest nastiest thing.  Today our task required destroying turrets all of which my character pounded until they collapsed.  After all that agro I discovered that Xbox does not give me achievements when I play co-op with John?  John gets points but I do not.  Yes, I am signed in while we play. 

This is a lot like real life.  People often clash with my personality because I am the verbal muscle.  John is a very laid back person who rarely speaks up.  I am the person who tells stories, gets rid of telemarketers and asks forthright questions. 

This morning at breakfast my grandma tried to Jedi mind trick the waiter at Tina Marie’s to get her coffee for almost 10 minutes.  The moment he made eye contact with me for a millisecond I remarked that my grandmother was likely to “go crazy without a cup of coffee.”  My grandma blushed at my remark but she grinned ear to ear when they brought that cup.

I am an underappreciated co-op partner, breakfast partner and wife.  It is not fun always being the muscle but someone has got to do it.  I am not saying my social role is horrible but the perceptions that accompany being the pushy wife are not fun.  In video games I should at least get my achievement points but no.  Damn you Microsoft, for shame.  

Yesterday my sis and I took our kiddos for a day trip to Griffith Park Observatory.  John spent the day at the campus doing math proofs.  We all had dinner for my cousin Nicks birthday and we barely made it to our games. 

We played DS while watching IronMan.  After an hour of mini-games we feel asleep.  It was a relaxing prelude to gaming today.

We finally unlocked The Thing today. My next anticipated character is The Hulk. 

Inara woke up from her nap and found John & I playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.   She demanded that John use Spiderman.  Even though that was not the best choice for our level, she was adamant.  She also explained that we need The Hulk.  We thought she was just listing names of superheroes.  Then she got the box and pointed to the Hulk in case she thought we misunderstood.  

My 3-year-old daughter knows more about Marvel comics than I do.  Recent movies have bolstered my knowledge of characters like Daredevil considerably but I am nowhere near John expertise.   It is interesting to see what the future holds for our little Marvel protégé.

I am off to start another vampire book and retire to bed.   

Choosing Sides

Tonight we played Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and got to choose a side.  We are rebelling against the registration act and teaming up with Captain America.  The only downside to aligning with Captain America is that I have not been able to play with The Thing.  John was all for being a rebel but I can tell he misses Iron Man just a little.

Part of the fun of this game is playing with the different characters.  I think it is good that we chose a side that forces us to try out new heroes or I would never deviate.  Right now my characters are Wolverine and the Juggernaut.  I also played with Cable today. 

We played well over an hour tonight and it went by quickly because of three things.  The dialogue in this game is pretty darn funny.  Most of the humor is because we met up with Deadpool and he is set to be one of my favorite characters.  Secondly I learned when we are just meandering I can press select and auto follow.  Most importantly time went by quickly because we were having such a good time.

My eyelids are heavy and fingers achy.  I think it is time for my body to rest.  I know Nathan will wake me up soon so I better get a nap in while I can. 

Competing with Teenagers

DAY 28

Gaming the last few nights has been racked with interruptions.  We have fallen asleep while playing games two days in a row.  John is eager to play both Bayonetta and finish up Marvel Alliance 2.  He is a little jealous that his teenage cousin who just bought Marvel Alliance 2 is already further along than we are. 

Today Inara requested that we play Little Big Planet.  John let her re-dress his character with the accessories of her choice. Apparently this is a task that she and John have completed before because she had marching orders ready.  First was changing its hair color and then putting his sock-person in a “spiny-dress.” 

We have to be out of the house ever day by 7:15 am. By out of the house I mean all four of us dressed, fed and prepared for the day.  Sleep deprivation has demanded that my blog appear before its usual midnight hour.   It has been a nice hiatus the last few days that allowed me to get my class preparation done & read another vampire book before the quarter started.

Even while prepping for my classes gaming has not been far from my thoughts.  I ran out of juice writing quiz questions and made Jeff Gerstmann of Bombcast a possible answer.  I wonder if my students will google Bombcast or just think I am crazy?  The funny thing is, it is such a wildcard answer some students will probably select it.

We beat another boss in Marvel Alliance 2 and are headed off to bed.  Hopefully we will catch up with those darn insomniac teenagers. 

High Matenience

John and I spent the majority of our day apart.  Thanks to John’s creativity we now have custom butcher block with my great aunt Honey’s marble cutting stone fit on top.  His project kept him busy all day and me and kiddos continued to help Mema move. 

Tonight I have been a high matenience partner.  I am sick and my voice is so hoarse it is almost completely inaudible. My whole body aches from moving boxes.  If I were an Xbox right now I would be flashing the red ring of death.

Before we played John moved a space heater by the couch and made some of my favorite Trader Joe’s holiday tea.  He scowled when I was not willing to unravel myself from my blanket to share with him.  I offered that we have several other throw blankets but he retorted that he “likes to share.”  I am not in the mood to share my blanket.

You are probably reading this thinking I am a spoiled mean wife.  I hope that my candid admission illustrates my desire to be less whinny.  But if you think I am a spoiled wife you have got me pegged.

Today we played Marvel Alliance 2. John finished Uncharted 2 and he has been itching to see what new characters we had unlocked from our recent MA2 play.  I tried out the Juggernaut for a few minutes but got bored with him and switched back to The Thing after no time at all.

Today gaming for me was a chore.  I love Marvel Alliance 2.  I love John.  But when I am feeling this miserable I do not love playing Marvel Alliance 2 with John.  Marriage and gaming like life has its bad days and today was one of mine.  

DIE Tinkerbell DIE

DAY 19

Today I have been in a fowl mood and have tried to nurse the small amount of patience I have left back to health.  I have some perspective that things could be much worse: Among other things I could have spent the day in airport lines with my electronics stored and hands folded neatly on my lap.  Are you home yet Henry?

Even though I am on the ground in Bakersfield I feel like I am trapped with my idle hands.  All day I have looked forward to getting a hold of my controller.

While we waited to ride a train John and I talked about which game would be best to work out my anxiety. I decided to reprise my play with Wolverine and maybe have some face time with the Thing.  The tween girls behind us in line sang the same song off key while we waited in line for 30 minutes.  30 minutes does not seem like a long time but the combination of cold, dust and tween tone deafness almost sent me over the edge.  Thankfully we made it on the train without our carolers. 

It was nice that we finally went to see the holiday lights at CALM.  Inara was excited to ride the Carousel and we all went on the train.  With the kids fast asleep I finally got to play some Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  I played with both Wolverine and the Thing but favored the Thing tonight.

I thought it was strange that the boss for this level was called the Tinkerer.  The reason I found this odd is because that is the name of the vocation that Tinkerbell has a natural affinity for in her new movie (that Inara makes me watch.)  At first I felt bad killing a potential fairy but then he kept sending cyborg minions and all regret fell away.  
 

Now that I have worked out some of my rage issues I am ready to go to sleep.  John has prescribed yoga for my morning so that I do not go all Linda Blair on him.  I am surprised I am smiling as I write this blog considering how tense I was before we played today.  It is amazing that an hour with my partner can make things that were so irritating seem funny instead.  If you are reading this and stressed for any reason (1) get off the computer because facebook will not help you de-stress (2) grab your honey and spend an hour doing something recreational.  One hour of your day dedicated to the person you love will really change your outlook no matter what you are looking at.

 

Which Marvel Character are You?

DAY 18

I have completed my fair share of "which person are you?" quizzes on social networking sites.  My neglected MySpace page still lists my secret super hero identity as the Hulk and John as Robin.  At the time I found these quizzes humorous and partially accurate.  Now I realize that they were completely wrong.

To discover your inner Marvel self one must play Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. I am Wolverine.  I tried to switch between Spiderman, Ironman or Captain America but they just do not do it for me. Wolverine is self healing and famous for his use of agro tactics.  I may not have magical healing abilitues but I am a grab the bull by the horns kind of gal.  I am not sure what strategy we will have to take in the game to keep Wolverine in the Alliance but I hope we can hold on to him.

John prefers Ironman.  I cannot be bothered with aiming, flying and shooting. I am not sure if John strongly favors Tony Stark or if he is suffering from Ironman fever.  We went to see Sherlock Holmes today and saw a preview for the new Ironman movie.  John might prefer a more calculated super hero or it could be that he just thinks Tony Stark/ Robert Downy Jr. is awesome.

The controls of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 are easy peasy because the camera automatically chooses the view. My one complaint is how cluttered the screen becomes.  Since there are so many enemies and members of the alliance often the screen is chaos.  A few times I commenced button mashing because I was not sure which hero was mine.  There was no death or crazy confusion like the last few nights so overall this was a successful night for us.